Flying the Old Black, Red and Gold

Germans aren't really patriotic.

Which isn't surprising. After being screwed over by not just one but two nationalism-obsessed regimes in under 50 years, Germans have a right to be a little skittish about touting a love for the Vaterland.
To be fair, most of the rest of the world would still feel a little chilly at the sight of a mass gathering of Germans chanting "Deutschland! Deutschland!" in a fervor of national pride.

It still brings up some bad memories.

This is why, up until two years ago, it was considered to be in very poor taste to fly a German flag in Germany.

You could find a few black, red and gold tricolors in the vicinity of the Reichstag, Germany's capital building in Berlin, but virtually nowhere else.

But in 2006, Germany experienced something of an identity crisis when its soccer team made it to the World Cup.

And won the bronze.

For the first time in a really long time Germans were proud of their country, and they wanted to wear it on their sleeves.

And so they did. A little awkwardly at first, like getting on a bike for the first time in decades. The world watched slack-jawed as it happened, not quite sure how it felt about the new development, but ultimately decided it felt good to see its competitors develop a little confidence. A little bite.

And it has stuck.

It's Cup time again (Euro Cup this year), and the tricolors are flying everywhere.

But calling it patriotism, I think, is a stretch. It's more like team spirit. Time-wise and otherwise, the sentiments don't seem to extend beyond soccer season.

Which is too bad. Because they've got a pretty awesome country here.

Germany is the wealthiest country in Europe and, trailing only Russia, the most powerful. It brought us the printing press, considered by many to be the most significant invention of all time ...

a religious reformation that shook the monolithic Catholic Church to its core ...

and many of the greatest and most recognizable classical composers the world will ever know ...

Bach

Beethoven

Not to mention the first Mormon apostle to be born outside the United States since John Widstoe — President Dieter Uchtdorf (who, by the way, recently visited our very own chapel here in Dresden and is just as charming, genuine and generally awesome as he seems on T.V.).

They also have great cuisine, including all manner of wienies and mustard and pickles and these things ...

German potato dumplings. Oh, mama.

And let's not forget, last but certainly not least ...

Heidi Klum — breathtaking international superhero, I mean supermodel, and hilarious, endearing, level-headed host of Project Runway and Germany's Next Top Model (which blows ANTM clean out of the water, but that's another post entirely).

What's not to love? All things in time, I suppose.



JEM